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Josephine County budget officer lays out $188.9 million proposed FY 2026–27 budget, highlights staffing cuts and revenue constraints
Summary
Budget Officer Arthur O’Hare presented Josephine County’s proposed FY 2026–2027 budget of about $188.9 million, noting a roughly $2.4 million reduction in operating expenditures, an estimated 20.79 FTE net staffing decrease, and that 87% of revenues are restricted.
Budget Officer Arthur O’Hare presented the Fiscal Year 2026–2027 proposed budget to the Josephine County Budget Committee at a May 19 meeting in Grants Pass, outlining a proposed total of approximately $188.9 million and saying the plan complies with Oregon Budget Law.
The budget message noted the total represents about a 3% increase over the prior fiscal year’s adopted budget while operating expenditures decreased by roughly $2.4 million. O’Hare also reported a net reduction of about 20.79 full-time equivalent positions in the proposed budget.
Why it matters: the budget funds core county services, but O’Hare emphasized limited local discretion because he said roughly 87% of County revenues are restricted to specific purposes, leaving about 13% of General Fund revenues available for discretionary spending. He also identified reliance on property tax collections and assumptions about Secure Rural Schools funding as important fiscal drivers.
In his presentation, O’Hare reviewed contingency and reserve requirements established by the Board of County Commissioners and said those reserves are intended to address emergency expenditures and cash-flow timing prior to receipt of property taxes. He identified departmental changes proposed in the budget, including staffing adjustments in Emergency Management, Planning, Finance, Information Technology, Legal Counsel, Public Health, Juvenile programs, and Internal Services, and reductions in Forestry Reserve spending and Fairgrounds funding reserves. Capital project adjustments in the Property Reserve Fund were also noted.
Committee members discussed the balance between transparency and efficient use of committee time when scheduling departmental presentations and the possibility of holding a broader "State of the County" style event outside the formal budget timeline to accommodate more extensive briefings. They also raised concerns about law enforcement compensation and retention for the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s office, and discussed the likelihood that any compensation changes for represented employees would require negotiations or supplemental budget actions.
The Budget Committee thanked O’Hare and finance staff for the materials; more detailed departmental presentations are expected at upcoming Budget Committee hearings where committee members will review individual departmental requests and staffing impacts. No public testimony was offered at the May 19 session.
